Half-Life 2

[Nomad25055]

Have you tried changing the friction setting? You can adjust a surprising amount of things in game. Some of which aren't cheats like you might believe. A perfect example of what I mean is this: sv_infinite_aux 1, this changes it to where you have infinite sprint , air, and flashlight power! While I don't like to use it as never having to breathe is like cheating for me, I did play with it for a bit. Something interesting I have noticed about Half-Life 2 while messing with that command is bunny hopping! You wouldn't think this would be possible as it is supposed to have realistic physics (and it does), but you can do this!. You don't even have to bother with crouching while doing this either. Try it for yourselves, just time your jumping to where you jump as soon as you hit the ground. You will find that you are practically flying while doing this. I have actually played around with it and found that you can get going fast enough that you can actually outrun the trains!! As for having to use the buggy to get through the coast, it isn't needed if you are good enough at it (well, you will need it for the jumps :P). You can outrun anything in the game doing this (bullets don't count lol). I need to find a nice open spot just to see if I ever stop accelerating while doing this, because I always seem to just keep going faster and faster until I run out of room. This technique all but eliminates the sprint key. The only thing I still use it for is tight spaces. This game has much potential replay value, all you have to do is just experiment.

EDIT: Please forgive any grammatical and or spelling errors, as I am very tired at this point in time. To be honest, I am so tired I can't even tell if my post makes any sense! And on that note ladies and gentlemen, I am going to bed now.

[Walkiry]

This technique all but eliminates the sprint key.
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There's a sprint key? :huh:

First news I have about it, I would have probably made it through the whole game and never noticed :lol:

[pakman]

Ah bunny hopping. I'm a big Counter-Strike player, and that's the first thing I tried when I got in the game. And lo and behold, it worked! I was amazed that a game boasted such great physics would allow such a travesty :P I first tried is how you have to do it in CS 1.6, but then decided that just jumping while holding the forward key was sufficient enough. Naturally I had to fire up Counter-Strike: Source and attempt bunny hopping in there, but alas, it did not work :(

[Cryptic]

The FPS is one of my least-favorite genres - I'm still waiting for a realistic "person simulator" that doesn't feel like a hovercraft with a gun arm sticking out the front of it. The ideal system would be 1st/3rd person toggled, with a useful targeting reticule for 3rd person that would require mouse manipulation to keep it fair. Head bob, stride effect on sniping, momentum, etc. would be crucial. I just think it's really silly to have realistic physics when your character can run backward at 30 mph with perfect glide and zero fatigue. The tactical challenges caused by being a "real" person, seeking covering, and dying in 1-2 hits would be frustrating at first but also deep and fascinating. Instant medkits are ridiculous as well.

All that being said, I am extremely impressed with this game. It is my favorite FPS since Doom II. The atmosphere is top-notch, and the revolutionary play opportunities unveiled by the use of the gravity gun give me a lot of hope for the future. Of the "mega 3" (Doom 3, Halo 2, HL2), this is the only one I feel not only met the fans' expectations, but blew the doors off. If only the ending wasn't so shoddy and the premise so unrealistic that it takes you out of the game - it's nearly perfect. Kudos.
:o

[Occhidiangela]

Looking for your recommendation:

Better played with a mouse or a joystick?

Occhi

[Cryptic]

:P

Looking for your recommendation:

Better played with a mouse or a joystick?

Occhi
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Entirely dependent upon your gaming preferences, but if you have (I'm assuming) a strong PC background over console, I recommend a good infrared mouse with quick and precise response, and you'll be fine. Microsoft is making one right now that's actually surprisingly good, although it may be a bit too slight for large hands. I like its response time and accuracy and it's low-maintenance. Control is very intuitive in solo and you don't need anything "ultimate" to control with unless you're getting shredding in Ravenholm or such.

Of course, take this with a grain of salt since I can't stand to use console controllers for FPS or RTS, even though I love them for platformers and RPGs.

[pakman]

You should try Far Cry. It has realistic physics, fatigue, sniping that matters on position and whether or not you hold your breath. It's linear, but has different ways to accomplish the same linear goal. Getting shot hurts, a lot. And a word of advice, don't piss of the monkeys :)

[Pop Squid]

You should try Far Cry.  It has realistic physics, fatigue, sniping that matters on position and whether or not you hold your breath.

And you can LEAN AROUND OBSTACLES, thus minimizing your exposure to incoming fire.

Have been playing HL2 some already this week, and I tell ya it's a wild ride. Hopefully Kandrathe & I will be playing it on a sweet DLP projector and some nice speakers, tomorrow night and well into the wee hours. It'll be something interesting to do until the next Guild Wars beta event, anyways. ;)

[Rinnhart]

The FPS is one of my least-favorite genres - I'm still waiting for a realistic "person simulator" that doesn't feel like a hovercraft with a gun arm sticking out the front of it.  The ideal system would be 1st/3rd person toggled, with a useful targeting reticule for 3rd person that would require mouse manipulation to keep it fair.  Head bob, stride effect on sniping, momentum, etc. would be crucial.  I just think it's really silly to have realistic physics when your character can run backward at 30 mph with perfect glide and zero fatigue.  The tactical challenges caused by being a "real" person, seeking covering, and dying in 1-2 hits would be frustrating at first but also deep and fascinating.  Instant medkits are ridiculous as well.

All that being said, I am extremely impressed with this game.  It is my favorite FPS since Doom II.  The atmosphere is top-notch, and the revolutionary play opportunities unveiled by the use of the gravity gun give me a lot of hope for the future.  Of the "mega 3" (Doom 3, Halo 2, HL2), this is the only one I feel not only met the fans' expectations, but blew the doors off.  If only the ending wasn't so shoddy and the premise so unrealistic that it takes you out of the game - it's nearly perfect.  Kudos.
:o
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If I wanted to play a game that required me to overcome ALL the weaknesses of being human I'd go hang out in the woods with an Airsoft rifle.

One's #$%&ty aim shouldn't be a game mechanic, or at most make it optional should you feel the need for a handicap. 1-2 hit deaths favor less interesting, less skillful forms of gameplay.

[[wcip]Angel]

Having just completed the game, I can happily say that it was well worth the $70 I paid for it. Even though I felt it was a bit shorter than the original, HL2 is a huge leap forward in terms of game mechanics and graphics. Even at a medium-range computer like mine (2ghz, geforce4 ti4600, 512 MB RAM) with many of the bells and whistles turned off, the graphics were still hugely impressive, which is saying something. I can't wait to play the game (as well as Far Cry and Doom III) on an upgraded computer.

I also appreciated what Valve did with the characters in order to add depth in what seemingly strikes me as a relatively shallow game from a character-developmental perspective. Their gestures, looks as well as the voice-overs all contributed to creating *real* life-like characters.

Can't wait for HL3 :)

[Nomad25055]

Well, we might not have to wait for too long. Half-Life 3 plans leaked. B).

[Rinnhart]

Dammit. Looks like the ol' box is gonna need another retrofit.

[kandrathe]

Angel,Nov 19 2004, 05:46 PM]Having just completed the game, I can happily say that it was well worth the $70 I paid for it. Even though I felt it was a bit shorter than the original, HL2 is a huge leap forward in terms of game mechanics and graphics. Even at a medium-range computer like mine (2ghz, geforce4 ti4600, 512 MB RAM) with many of the bells and whistles turned off, the graphics were still hugely impressive, which is saying something. I can't wait to play the game (as well as Far Cry and Doom III) on an upgraded computer.

I also appreciated what Valve did with the characters in order to add depth in what seemingly strikes me as a relatively shallow game from a character-developmental perspective. Their gestures, looks as well as the voice-overs all contributed to creating *real* life-like characters.

Can't wait for HL3 :)
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I finally bought it Friday, and played a little on a friends machine that evening. The boys are gone for the weekend, so I sat down Saturday after noon, and played off and on yesterday. Only in one spot was I very frustrated for long; by a swarm of guards, while waiting for Alyx in Nova Prospekt, but I finally figured out a way to not be overwhelmed. I was a little confused at the end, but on the fourth attempt I figured it out and finished. I sure do love the improved gravity gun.

[Walkiry]

If I wanted to play a game that required me to overcome ALL the weaknesses of being human I'd go hang out in the woods with an Airsoft rifle.

One's #$%&ty aim shouldn't be a game mechanic, or at most make it optional should you feel the need for a handicap. 1-2 hit deaths favor less interesting, less skillful forms of gameplay.
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100% agreed. If I wanted that I'd go play Lasertag or Paintball... Which I've actually done a few times. Fun stuff, specially with the right group of friends.

16 people free-for-all is tons of fun in Lasertag. If your friends happen to be Icelanders so much the better.

[[wcip]Angel]

Hi Cryptic.

If you're looking for a "realistic" 1st-person shooter, try Hidden and Dangerous. It's a WW2-simulator and doesn't require a high-end computer, seeing as the game is relatively old. (The graphics are still nice, though.) The game requires planning, patience, accuracy and knowledge on how to exploit the bugs in the game :) Without all of these, your soldier will mostly die at the first shot of a nazi soldier.

You control a team of 1-4 players, similarly to Ghost Recon, but the levels are often more complex and extremely more difficult. Think of Ghost Recon as the cartoony PG13-version of H&D, which is almost impossible to complete if you're not playing with a friend over network (or Internet). (And not nearly half as fun, especially if you both have microphones.)

---
Back on topic:

I keep hearing reports from people that the G-Man can be seen several times throughout the game. If I remember correctly, I only met him at the beginning and end of the game. Where have you seen the nice man with the speech impediment? More importantly, what's your theory on him? His awkwardness with the English language can mean 1 of 2 things:

1. He's Scandinavian (:lol:)
2. He's alien.

But what kind of alien? Is he a good or bad guy? Is he a double-agent? Why can he freeze time, etc

[pakman]

I got the game working last night and right now I a currently in the tunnel on the way to Ravenholm; I hope the alien and zombie genocide starts soon.

[[wcip]Angel]

The gravity gun is your friend, as well as a source for many a humerous decapitations.

[Nomad25055]

Half-Life 2 is actually a whole new game if you try to spot the G-Man. I have managed to find/see him at least 9 times. I believe I have screenshots of at least 6 of those encounters.

[[wcip]Angel]

Could you post them? Send me a PM if you need space to host them, or simply mail them to wcip.angel@gmail.com.

[Nomad25055]

I thought I had six but I only have five. Turns out I took two shots of the same sighting. I have seen him a few more times than this, I just wasn't fast enough to hit F5 :P.





I apologize for the fact that he may be hard to see as I took these on the fly B). These were taken on mid/high settings. I only just recently got around to turning the graphics up.
EDIT: If you notice the fact that I have full ammo and health in all the shots, it is because it was the second/third time through the game and I was just messing around with the physics :P. Also note how I have low FPS in two of the shots. When you take a screenshot you FPS takes a dive for a second or two. And speaking of FPS, what do you get? I get anywhere from 50 - 200 FPS, although i average 120+.